It's Complicated
by Ramona Bandicoot
Summary: Sequel to "How They Met". After finally collecting all the items she needs to avenge her father's death, Ramona learns that there's another key component. She's offered help, but what happens when all of her hard work is stolen from her?
1. Chapter 1: Repetition Is a Burden

**Author's Note: **This is a sequel to my first chapter story, How They Met, and happens a few months after the end of it. After finally collecting all the things she needs to avenge her father's death, Ramona learns that there is another key component. But what will happen when all of her hard work is stolen from her? Full of fighting, threats, attacks, friendships, romance, and of course stealing, It's Complicated really is complicated.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Well I finally finished my notes for my sequel to How They Met. Granted that story was basically a background story but the collection of the crystals is what I'm continuing on with. So, please read and review and let me know what you think! (: and I won't be able to update as often since I'm really busy lately so please be patient. Thanks!_

It's Complicated

Chapter 1: Repetition Is a Burden

I gripped the steering wheel tighter as my car hit a speed bump on road and I was slung upward momentarily. I heard the police sirens get louder and closer so I stepped on the gas even harder in return. I was already coming close to speeds of ninety and wasn't afraid to go faster. I rounded a corner quickly and had my hair fly all around my face. The motor that lifted and lowered the roof of my convertible was busted so I was stuck having my hair whipped around my face like pine straw stuck as I zoomed through the city and the wind was wild. I already wasn't in a good mood and being chased by the police on a job was just what I needed to set me on edge. The last time I was in Paris, I was searching for one of the crystals I needed to get my revenge for my father but was back when my sister told me that there were now special type of gems or something that would be needed. So, I would now have to return to all of my previous locations and get those also before I could go anywhere in my plans.

I had just stolen one of the gems I needed when a backup security system in the building went off and I was quickly surrounded by police. So, I ran with my prize and was now being chased throughout the nighttime streets of Paris in an attempt to escape. I had been on edge lately, always stressed and ready to snap without warning. My brother said it was because we we're getting closer to our goal but still had a few obstacles in the way and the fact I inherited mom's temper and patience wasn't helping either. I quickly looked back and realized the police were starting to shoot at my tires. One bullet pierced my back left tire but I still sped away. The sound of air inflating into my tires filled my ears and I smirked to myself. Thanks to my sister, she had created a way for my tires to have basically an air bag inflate when something pierces through the rubber. The airbag lasted a few hours and I hoped it wouldn't take that long to escape from the police. All that I needed to do was get over the bridge and I would be home free. And of course, with my luck, that didn't happen. I slammed on the brakes and came to a screeching halt when the front end of my car almost collided with the side of the Cooper van, which had also stopped. I shot an enraged glance up to the passenger side only to see Sly poking his head out of the window.

"Who gave you a license?" he shouted over the sounds of sirens and car engines. Already frustrated with my situation at hand, I angrily motion with my arm for him so move so I could get going myself. He chuckled to himself before shouting again, "Go this way!" he pointed in the direction his teams' van was pointing, "They set up spike strips on the bridge and have the other way blockaded!"

"Alright, thanks! But move the van!" I could go over the spike strips with my tires but didn't feel like getting ambushed by police. I threw the car in reverse and backed up so Murray could move the van. Cooper's van moved just in time for me to put the car back in drive and tearing away before the police caught up. I turned sharply to the right and was soon cruising next to the Cooper van, still pushing one-hundred. We were still being perused by the police and they were gaining quickly. I sped ahead of the van and made another right when I saw the cruisers get in position to pull a pit maneuver. I twisted and turned through the small, dark streets in an attempt to shake my pursuers but to no avail.

That's when I felt the back end of my car swerve ahead of the front of the vehicle and started spinning wildly. I turned the wheel anyway I could think of, trying to regain control of my car but nothing worked. I couldn't help but think of how many times my plans had gone in the toilet and realized they only went bad when I had a run in with the Cooper Gang. I either got hurt somehow or my plans faltered. I knew it wasn't intentional but was still annoying at times. I groaned when my car slid against the side of a brick building and the front impacted with a lamp post. I quickly tore my seatbelt away and grabbed my bag from the passenger seat before jumping over the driver door and bolted for the nearby alleyway. There wasn't much light in the allies but being nocturnal gave an advantage; I could see perfectly and avoided the debris and trash on the path. That's when I realized a problem; the path I was taking lead to a dead end. I slid on my heels and took the small connected and very tight alley. I had gotten halfway through the space when I felt three sharp zaps of electricity hit me in the back. I grimaced when I felt the shock blasts enter my body and my vision blurred. I felt to the ground when I felt a fourth one enter my body. Footsteps and shouting could be heard and I was still dazed. I looked forward towards the exit I was going to take and saw the light become blocked out by a very familiar van. The tall, lengthily shadow quickly got out of the van and quickly made my way to where I was but when the fifth and sixth shot hit me in the back, I let myself fall into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2: Falling Apart

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_Sorry for the semi-long updating period and I unfortunately won't be able to update as often as the last one but I'll try my best. Please read and review! (:_

Chapter 2: Falling Apart

My eyes fluttered open and I let out a groan of pain when I moved. I felt the all too familiar burn and ache of a shock pistol blast and a migraine starting to form. I carefully rolled on my back and rested my arms over my eyes while kicking the covers off my legs. That's when I remembered being in an alley before I blacked out and now I was in a bed. I shot up, looked around, and realized I wasn't in my apartment. These definitely weren't my sheets, my walls weren't beige, my room certainly didn't look like a storage unit like this one, and I'm pretty sure I had hardwood floors in my room. I carefully stood from the bed and walked towards the heavy, oak door. I placed my paw on the doorknob and pulled it open as gently as I could, so I wouldn't agitate my back anymore than it already was. I peered out into the hallway and saw and heard nothing or no one. Taking very small and quiet steps, I walked into the living room and was relieved when I saw Murray sitting on the couch reading over some car magazine. The floor creaked and he looked up and motioned for me to quickly sit in a recliner when he realized I was up and awake. I did like I was told and sat old yet comfortable chair while giving off many grunts of pain in the process.

"Bentley and Sly are out getting something or something like that, I wasn't really paying attention, they'll be back soon." He said after I was situated. I laughed softly and agreed with him for rarely paying attention. I couldn't count how many times I had been nagged at by my brother to start paying attention during briefings but it never changed.

"I don't pay attention either," I mentioned, "although I probably should, maybe it'll save me from getting shot so much." I rolled over this thought briefly until he started talking again.

"I didn't know how fast of a driver you were until tonight. I'm gonna have to challenge you to a race one day!" we both laughed at the comment.

"Bring it on. I can out drive you any day, as long as my car is ok." I remembered having to ditch my car and started wondering what had happened to it.

"I think that's what they went to go get, actually." And at that notion, Sly and Bentley came into their hideout a few minutes later.

"Well," Bentley said as he took a seat on the couch next to Murray, "We have good news, bad news, and worse news. Which do you want first?"

"Give me the good." I said as I shifted in the seat with a grunt.

"We found your car and brought it back here." He twiddled his thumbs momentarily, "But, it's completely totaled."

"Completely!" I shrieked. That car was the only way I would be able to get everything I needed in a timely manner and now I had no idea how I would do that. They nodded and continued.

"And finally," Sly continued on for Bentley, "we followed the police after we brought you back here and they found your apartment and searched it. They took a few things from it but not that much." My heart felt as if it was in my throat when he said that.

"What did they take? Did they take a safe? It was medium sized and solid back. Do you know if they took it?" everything I had collected, all the crystals and gems were in that safe. Sly looked over to the turtle with furred eyebrows and thought.

"I think they did, was it important?" Bentley's voice filled my ears but I only half listened. I had to figure out a way to get that safe back without anything being taken from it.

"And your brother left a message about an hour ago." Murray shifted in his seat and searched around the phone. He eventually pulled out a sticky note and handed it to me. I read the scribbled message on the small piece of paper. It basically said that my brother knew my car was totaled and would be able to pick me up in the morning and had asked Sly and his gang if I could stay until he came. They of course agreed and had placed me in the room I had woken up in. I flipped it over to the back and continued reading. I slumped into the chair and sighed at what it said. It confirmed my worries and the police had gotten the safe. It was the most important thing that I owned, and it was now gone. I crumpled the note in my paws and stayed silent, as did the others. I rubbed the bridge of my nose before standing up slowly.

"I'm going to bed, I've had a bad night." I strolled into the bedroom that had been set up for me and let the door close silently. I flopped on the bed and sighed. It was around two in the morning and I was wide awake. With a combination of the pain from my wounds, to the news of my car, and finally knowing that everything I had worked my entire adult like and half of my teenage years getting, were now in the hands of the police.

After tossing and turning for almost an hour, I decided I needed some fresh air and a place to think. I crawled to the other end of the bed and pushed the widow open and eventually found a way to crawl up and out. I used my claws to scale up the side of the building and eventually onto the roof. The cool night air blew through my fur and I enjoyed the feeling. The moon was the only thing that illuminated the darkness and the sounds of cars passing by filled the empty spaces between small bursts of wind. I sat near the edge and looked over what I could see of the city. The Eiffel Tower stood proudly in the distance and everything had a calm and peaceful haze to it. My head snapped around when I heard someone coming up the roof. I had my guess of who it was but was still on the alert. Sly eventually popped his head out from over the side of the building and finished climbing when he saw me. I returned my attention to the city as he finished climbing and eventually sat next to me.

"How did you know I was up here?" I asked with a playfully stern tone.

"Well, my room is next to the guest room, the room you're in, and I heard the window open; just wanted to make sure you were alright." I gave a quick smile and thanked him.

"So, what brings you up on the roof this late at night?"

"I needed a place to think; somewhere quiet and out in the open." I moved my bangs from my eyes and sighed.

"Think about what?" he studied me as I paused to think about what I would say.

"If everything I'm doing is actually worth it. Everything I have worked my tail off for since I was fifteen has been taken away and-" I stopped when my voice started to crack.

"It's worth it, trust me." I knew what he meant. He had worked a long time to get back his family heirloom and take down his enemies in the process. "And if you ever need help, just give us a call." I nodded in response before turning away from him and placing my head on my paw. Tears started forming in my eyes when reality really started to punch back. I shut them quickly in an attempt to stop them from falling and it temporarily worked. I felt a paw rest on my shoulder and give it a light squeeze before Sly suggested that we should both get to bed. I agreed and I followed him back down the side of the building and we entered thorough my window. I had just seated myself on the bed when he reached the door.

"And again, if you need anything, let us know." He said before the walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. I eventually got settled down and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Renovations

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper Characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions. I also don't own the car brand.

**Claimer:** I own my original character, Ramona Bandicoot, and all other related characters.

_This had intentionally been planned to be chapter 4 but I figured the original chapters 2 and 3 were too short so I just combined them. Also, I found I had a little extra time today so I decided to type this up quickly and post it. So please read and review and let me know what you think and tell me ways on how I could make it better. Thanks. (:_

Chapter 3: Renovations

I stood and sipped my cup of coffee while looking over the damage done to my car. As much as I hated to accept it, my car was totaled far beyond repair. There were many minor things that could be replaced but internally, it was a mess. To begin, there was no windshield anymore, the remnants of it were scattered on the black interior. I was missing three out of the four hubcaps and the tires were in pieces. The windows themselves were either shattered or only half of them remained. Since I had a two door sports car, I only had the two options but it still looked bad. The body was covered in dents and scratches and because of sliding against that brick building, the soft, yellow paint was chipping off. The front hood was completely crumpled up and almost touched the windshield, if there was one. The grill suffered a major dent from the light post I had hit. Due to the high speeds I was going when I hit the light post, I had actually cracked the engine block and made it completely useless. That also somehow caused my headlights to break and no longer become operational. There was also a dent in the bumper from the pit maneuver which caused the truck to wedge down and keep it from opening. There was a similar scenario with the driver side door. I couldn't get it open and I was pretty sure the entire front end of the car had been shifted to the right. I heard Murray walk up beside me and take a look at the car.

"What kind of car is this? Because this looks awesome! Or, I bet it did before it got smashed." Murray was defiantly a car fanatic and I was in some ways.

"Pontiac Solstice," I sipped at my coffee before continuing, "but we made some modifications to it; temporarily re-inflatable tires if they're punctured, good mileage, high speeds, modified interior, weapon upgrades, LED headlights, and until now it had a new paint job."

"Mpg's and mph's, what do you get?" he took a closer look at the car and studied it.

"Fifty-two mpg and speeds going to at lease two twenty-five."

"Are you going to be able to fix it?" I sighed and thought about that question.

"I don't know. It depends on what's cheaper to do. But if we can't fix it or it'll just be cheaper to get a new one I'll do that. But if I have to get a new one I'll have to get all new modifications and weapons and install them."

"Did you come up with the modification ideas?" Murray was still inspecting car.

"Yeah, but my brothers are the ones who actually put them in. By the way, since you have a garage and I don't, could I keep my car here until we can get it fixed?"

"Go ahead, I can take a look at it and see if there's anything I can do." We continued talking for a few minutes until I got tired of looking at my car and decided to wait for my brother.

Sitka came and picked me up shortly after I looked over my car. He had come with me to my apartment to see if there was any damage done by the police. Our guesses were confirmed when the front door had been rammed down and the inside was completely violated. Papers were everywhere, tables had been turned over, closets had been opened, and drawers had been dumped out. I headed straight for my closet and scattered the clothes around in search of the safe; just incase they had overlooked it. But, Sitka had been right and it was gone. Seeing the empty space where the safe had once been made my blood start boiling and my temper to start flaring.

"Did they even have a search warrant?" I asked as I stormed back into the living room.

"I don't know," Sitka's muffled voice came from behind the refrigerator door, "Charlotte didn't look into it." he continued as he proceeded to pull food out of the fridge and make himself a sandwich.

"Well can they even remove things from the apartment?" I leaned against the counter.

"If they have a search warrant they can." He let out a snort of laughter as I became more agitated. "Listen, I'll help you clean up a little, then I'll talk with Charlotte and see if we can get a plan together to get everything back. In the meantime, do some research and see if you can get some more locations for our map and we'll let things unfold from there." I nodded and he helped me clean up my home after he finished his lunch.

After we had finished straightening up, we realized that the only thing taken besides the safe was an old map we had used a few years ago and had no value to us anymore. Sitka had left to go talk with our sister and had given me an opportunity to think things through. It hadn't taken me long to realize that things have been going south for the past few months. Either the police were getting quicker or I was loosing my touch, but I was getting caught during heists more and more often. I was also letting my temper and other emotions get in the way of other important things and I always seemed to be on edge. I didn't know what it was but I was just ready for it all to stop so I could get on with my life. Night had just fallen and I decided that I would try and relax by going out on the balcony with a book and a cup of coffee. Already dressed in my pajamas, I had curled up in one of the two chairs I had on the balcony and just started reading when I heard the very familiar sound of metal on my balcony. I glanced up from my novel and saw that Sly was already halfway of the iron platform. I replaced my book for my coffee as he sat in the other chair and started making a conversation.

"I see you got your apartment all straightened up." he leaned into the chair and placed his legs out in front of him.

"Not all of it. It's still a mess but I'll deal with it after I come back from the Interpol station."

"The Interpol station," his ears perked, "are you sure that's a good idea? You know if you're seen there everything will get chaotic?"

"I do, but I'm talking to my sister about getting my safe back. And even if I can't get that, she somehow got one of the gems I need so I figured I'd swipe that while I'm in there."

"Who's your sister?"

"Inspector Fox." I replied as I sipped my coffee and his eyes widened.

"Inspector Fox is your sister? You failed to mention that when I met you."

"I get that often, but we haven't had a decent conversation since we were kids. But mark my words; I'm getting that gem no matter what."

"You mean the red one she had on that side table beside the couch?"

I raised an eyebrow and he silently raised his paws in and surrendering motion and I couldn't help but chuckle. We sat in silence for a few moments before he had to leave and I watched as his silhouette bounced away one the night sky. I eventually finished my coffee and part of my novel before returning to my living room and locked up before going to bed.


	4. Chapter 4: Confrontational

**Author's Note:** I finally found the time to get this chapter up, really busy with the holidays! So I hope everyone had a safe, fun and very merry Christmas and will hopefully enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I don't any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch.

**Claimer:** I own my original characters.

_And I know this chapter is a little shorter than the others but the next chapters will be longer and more exciting. This chapter basically starts building more tension. So please read and review and let me know what you think!_

Chapter 4: Confrontational

I casually opened the doors to the Interpol station and strolled inside. I didn't really care if the other officers caught on that it was me waltzing in instead of a regular pedestrian, I just wanted to get my stuff back. I was never fond of coming inside this building but I figured I'd suck it up and go ahead with what I had in mind. The elevator was empty when I stepped inside and was somewhat surprised when you take into consideration the number of people in the building. After stepping inside, I pressed the button for my desired floor and waited to be let off. Along with talking with my sister, I would figure out a way to get the gem Carmelita had in her office. The elevator opened with a ding and I stepped out into the empty hallway. I spent at least ten minutes looking for the correct office but finally found it at the end another hall that branched off to the left. I knocked on the door to see if she was in there and was greeted with an answer.

"Come back later!" Carmelita shouted from the other end but I knocked a second time anyway, "Come back later!" I rolled my eyes at the second response and forced the door open and walked in. I shut it behind me before walking up to her desk and placing my paws on the front of it. She removed her reading glasses and put her paperwork aside when I stepped up and waited for me to start talking.

"Give me my stuff back." I was partly hunched over the desk and was starting to get impatient.

"I can't do that. It was confiscated from your apartment for a reason and we plan to search it; if we can ever get it open. Now I highly recommend you get out before I have you escorted out."

"And I highly recommend you give me my stuff back and stay away from my apartment. Did you even have a search warrant?"

"You're a wanted criminal, Ramona. We don't need a warrant for criminals." I backed away from the desk and searched for the gem. She had a bookshelf on one side of the couch and on the other side was a small table that housed a lamp and the pomegranate colored gem. I turned me attention to the bookshelf and messed a bobble head figurine to shift attention from the gem.

"You know," I said as my temper started flaring again, "I just love how you consider me a 'wanted criminal' after you transferred to my case when before I was considered your sister."

"Being a police officer and having a sister as a thief isn't really a positive notation." She leaned into her chair and crossed her arms.

"Being a thief and having a police officer as a thief isn't really a positive thing either, but I still consider you my sister to other people." I turned from the bobble head and shot her an angered glance.

"Fair enough. So tell me, why do you want that safe back so badly?"

"Everything I have worked my tail off for is in that safe. Every crystal, every gem, everything is in that and I will not give it up easily."

"And what do you hope to accomplish with them? What's so special about a bunch of colored rocks?"

"They hold energy, Carmelita. And the energy they hold is powerful to blow this building into the middle of the city so if they get a hold of both the gems and crystals, you can kiss your badge goodbye. The crystals hold a certain amount while the gems vary. The colored ones are much more powerful that the clear ones but either one of them are enough to screw us all over if they get in the hands of Cortex. Remember what happened when we were kids?" she stayed silent but simply nodded. I leaned my hips against the side table with the gem and pulled my tail into my paws. I ran my fingers through the fur in an attempt to straighten it.

"I don't care how bad you think this is," she continued as she stood from her chair, "it's still illegal. Just be thankful I'm giving you a break today." In one quick movement, I brought my paw down and swiped the gem from its holder and placed it in my bag before she could see what happened.

"Giving me a break? I swear you sound just like Mom. She doesn't understand why I'm doing what I'm doing and neither do you. I'm doing this to take down the guy who killed our father. You weren't there the night he died, Inspector. You didn't have to sneak out of the house and run to a neighbor's house while your own brother won't tell you what's going on. Then to top it all off, when you go home to your own mother, you didn't have to wonder daily why she resented you and why you were treated differently. And then when she didn't want you anymore you weren't taken to an orphanage while she took care of your ten other siblings just fine." Seeing that I was going no where with her, I decided to leave.

"You're right, I don't know what happened. But, just because you're my sister doesn't mean I'm giving you a break." I had just reached the door when she said this and I turned afterward.

"I'm not asking for a break. I'm demanding my things back untouched. I'll be back in a few days and I want my safe." I stormed out of the office and marched my way to the elevator. As I rode the elevator down, I realized that this entire thing would be harder that I'd imagined. But at least I got the red gem from Carmelita so that was a plus. I was also surprised that with the large amount of officers in the building, I wasn't recognized so that was also a plus. I had just gotten back onto the streets when my angry sister stepped out onto her fire escape and started yelling. I figured she realized I had swiped the gem but I just brushed it off as I walked. I'd come back in a few days after I got my car fixed and try to reason with her again. But for now, I'd go home and put this gem and the one I stole a few nights ago to my brothers' house and keep them safe there.


	5. Chapter 5: Stirring the Pot

**Disclaimer:** I don't any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch.

**Claimer:** I own my original characters.

_Since I couldn't sleep, I typed this chapter up last night and could post it this morning so please read and review and let me know what you think along with any constructive criticism._

Chapter 5: Stirring the Pot

It had been a few days since I visited my sister in her office and I still hadn't gotten my safe back from Interpol. I had decided I would wait a few more days until my car was fixed. While on that matter, I was sitting next to my car while my brother looked at the engine. We had been trying to repair it for a few days and so far we'd gotten no where. We did manage to get the trunk open and the things out of if and just got the hood off so we could actually look at the engine. Sitka was the mechanically inclined one out of the three of us. Charlotte had some mechanical training but she was more book and planning smart. They were older and had more experience, or so they say. They were a maximum of two years older than I myself and Carmelita always tried to pull the age card on me. They way she figured, since she was a full eight minutes older than me then she had more life experience. So as a rebuttal I always said that twins were equal no matter which was born first.

"Well," Sitka's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, "I can't fix this stupid thing so you're going to have to get a new car and add everything to it. I've tried everything I can possibly think of." I was happy that I would get a new car, but the only problem was that in order for me to get everything in order for it to work like my old one, it would set me back at least two weeks. And I didn't have that kind of time if I was going to get everything collected on schedule.

"Great, do you know how far that'll set us back? That's at least two weeks if everything goes smoothly."

"Look, it's either wait two weeks or don't do it at all." He stood up straight and continued, "We've done some research and we need to do some recon around Interpol headquarters and figure out the best place that they would keep confiscated items." He wiped the grease from his fur.

"That's great. Just tell me what I'm looking for and I can go out tonight."

"That's the problem. It's too big of a job for you to go solo and you and I both know Charlotte and I aren't very light on our feet. So, we were thinking that would could get some assistance from Cooper and his gang and things could-" I cut him off.

"No. I can do just fine on my own and I don't need any help from another thief. I can do it on my own if you just tell me what I'm doing."

"And that's another problem. We need more brains on this one, Interpol headquarters will be heavily guarded and there will be security systems out our ears."

"I can help you with the planning, but we're not asking for help from anyone else. The three of us have this covered." I was standing and had my arms crossed at this time and my brother was the same.

"Can't you just accept the fact that we'll need help on this job and actually take it?"

"No I can't! The three of us have always gotten things done on our own and we can do this as well." I gave a huff and turned to walk out of the garage.

"I swear you are the most stubborn raccoon I've ever met! One day your pride will get us all arrested or killed!"

"Speak for yourself!" I rolled my eyes and was gone. My brother and I didn't fight often and when we did it didn't last more than a few hours. Again, I was starting to get in a bad mood and decided that I would go to my apartment and cool off for a while. It was starting to get chilly outside and I would have to remember to start wearing warmer clothes outside.

Once I was inside my apartment building, I picked my mail from the mailboxes and proceeded to the elevators. I casually flipped though the assortment of bills, junk, and letters until I could walk off to my floor and reach my front door. After getting the door opened, I almost dropped almost all my mail at the sight in front of me. Glass was everywhere and my sliding glass door was shattered. I threw the mail and my keys on the nearby counter and avoided the glass on my way to the shattered door. At first glance, it looked like it had been simply hit by a rock and the glass broke. That part was true but it for sure wasn't an accident. I picked up the rock, which was extremely heavy and almost as big as my paw, up off the floor and ripped off the letter that was attached. I tossed the rock back onto the floor and ripped open the letter. It was rather short and got straight to the point. It was a threat from the one person I was set on taking down. After trying to read through the hand written mess, I learned that it basically said that if I didn't quit meddling and collecting the gems in crystals, then I would be 'very' sorry. Then emblem of my enemy sat in the bottom right corner was displayed proudly. A giant red 'N' surrounded by an equally red circle.

I crumpled the note and tossed it to the side. I refocused my attention to my shattered door and figured I'd have to get it repaired tonight to avoid anyone else breaking in, stray animals, or bad weather. I very carefully picked up the large pieces of glass from the carpet and used the vacuum to pick up the smaller shards and splinters. Picking glass up off of a cream colored carpet wasn't easy, or fun, but I got the job done and then moved onto the balcony. I swept up the pieces of broken glass from the ground and threw them in my trashcan. I would have to call down to the management office and have them come up and replace the glass tonight before I could do anything else.

I spent the rest of the night watching the maintenance workers replace my window and make sure it would stay. They were quick, efficient, and rather nice men who usually gave out cookies to all the residents during the holidays. They weren't the smartest group of people but they meant well. They spent two hours replacing and securing the two parts of the door and finally left around eight. I picked up the threatening note again and read it over a few times. I knew I should take it seriously but this wasn't the first time I had been threatened like this. They usually left notes in my car but this was the first time they left one in my apartment and did damage. So this meant they knew exactly which apartment I lived in and knew it could only get worse from here. I decided to brush it off anyway and go ahead and eat, shower, and get ready for bed. I'd stop back by my brothers' tomorrow to see if we could work something out so I wouldn't need to rely on help from another thief. I was never one to admit that I needed help. Like my father, I had too much pride. I was also one not to show that much emotion, mainly sorrow and fear. My mother had drilled it into our heads that since we were from the Fox family we didn't show emotion. We were too tough and strong willed for it. So, that's exactly what I did. I decided that I would go ahead and go to bed, even though it was early, and try to sleep on some things and get ready for a recon job in a few weeks.


	6. Chapter 6: Attacks in the Night

**Disclaimer:** I don't any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch.

**Claimer:** I own my original characters.

_Well now that Christmas is over and there isn't much to do for New Years, I have a lot more free time and might be able to post more often but I still can't make any major promises. Please read and review and let me know what you think along with any constructive criticism._

Chapter 6: Attacks in the Night and Lashing Out

I cursed under my breath after I had stubbed my toe against the side of my bathtub while I was making my way to the bathroom sink. It was almost midnight and I decided that I would go to bed and get ready to do recon around the Interpol station in the morning. Just as I finished brushing my teeth and was changing into my pajamas, I heard latch on my sliding glass door open. There was only one person who could pick a deadbolt or would come around this late, and that was Sly.

"You know, it's a little late to be visiting." I said playfully as I walked out of the bathroom and towards the living room. I froze when I realized that the person in my apartment wasn't Sly. I recognized the intruder as one of the men who worked for Cortex and I felt my heart pound in my chest. I turned and started to run towards my room when the bull charged but fell when one of my own vases hit me in the back. Glass shattered around me and I tried to quickly get to my feet. I was grabbed by an ankle before I could get up and was pulled backwards. Once I was close to the bull, I started kicking and clawing at him. I sunk my claws into his legs after he released his grip on me. He let out a snort of pain and started kicking himself. He was standing while he kicked while I was still on the ground and after the fourth blow I heard various pops and cracking in my sides. He hit me two or three more times in the ribs before grabbing me by my waist and slinging me halfway across the room. The guy had to be twice the size of Murray and he was certainly stronger than him.

My back hit the wall and I hit the ground with a thump. I scampered towards the kitchen when he charged again and headed for the plates that rested in the dish drain. I threw glasses, plates, bowls, and anything else I could find in an attempt to stop the man but nothing helped. He simply blocked the dishware as it shattered on his forearm. He made his way around the counter but I jumped over it before he could get any closer. The tables were turned when he started throwing anything he could find at me. I blocked my face but I wasn't nearly as large at the bull was and I hissed everything an object impacted my arms and body. Since I was only wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top as my pajamas, more of my flesh was exposed and cut quickly. I'm not sure when, but he came around the counter again and once again grabbed me by the waist. He slammed me against the wall and gripped me by the throat. He snorted out a breath in my face. I tried clawing his grip off my throat but nothing worked until I kicked him a few times in the stomach. I dropped to the ground and crawled underneath his legs in his short moment of recovery. I had only gotten about a foot away from him when his boot landed on my back and pressed me to the floor.

He grabbed me by the hair and pulled me upward. My own paws gripped my head when if felt like my scalp was being ripped off. I was almost snout to snout with him after his arm started rising and I could feel his hot, moist breath on my face. I swiped my claws across his face and allowed them to rip the skin. I was dropped instantly and again started lashing back at him. I punched, kicked, slapped, and clawed as hard as I could and he started backing down. I was relentless and didn't stop until I felt my muscles start to burn from constant movement. I stopped completely when I was smacked across the face and I was sent to the ground. My face burned but I ignored it for the time being. Again, I was lifted to his face, but instead of hitting or slapping, I sunk my teeth into his shoulder and bit as hard as I could. He tried slinging me off but I held on tightly with my teeth and claws and bit harder. I heard a crack and a metallic taste entered my mouth. He finally pulled me off and I went for his arms. Like his neck, my teeth sunk in easily into his arm and I didn't let go with ease. With my teeth still imbedded into his skin, I was slung and my back hit the wall, again. I still clung on when he started shaking his arm. He again pulled me off and slung me away. I was almost curled into a defensive ball, all fours were on the ground and was ready to sprint in his direction when I saw that he was halfway through the glass door and started heading for the balcony.

I stood from the ground and looked around my apartment. For the second time this month, it was completely trashed. As my adrenaline started slowing down, I was reduced to tears when there was a burning in my side from where I was kicked and I was pretty sure I had a few broken ribs. My face burned from where I was slapped and blood dripped from the gashes from the dishware. My heart was still pounding and it hurt to breathe as I leaned against the back of the couch so I could catch my breath. I was shaking violently when I lifted my paws to look at my claws. I could still taste the remnants of blood in my mouth as my legs turned to jelly and I slid to the ground. I clutched my ribs and let tears fall down my face.

I jumped up and got read to throw the only remaining vase that wasn't shattered at my door. I heard someone come through the sliding door and I was ready to throw the vase. I didn't know how much damage I could do anyway; it hurt too much to breathe not even mentioning moving. I let the vase drop onto the couch when I realized it was Sly at my door and not another goon from Cortex. I was leaning into the couch to suppress the pain in my sides. He did a quick sweep of my now trashed apartment before walking in completely.

"I was on my way to the safehouse and I heard something from your apartment. I know this is going to sound stupid but are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I barked. I had finally snapped and was tired of all the attacks and threats. I had kept my anger bottled up inside and now it was being let out. I knew I needed to vent my anger out sometime soon, but I felt bad that the person that would get that heat would be Sly. My temper was like a fire, horrible to have, worse to have it become unleashed, and nearly impossible to stop until it died down on its own. I was still shaken up and didn't really want to talk about what just happened. I also knew that I wasn't the friendliest person to be around when I was in pain and right now, I was in major pain.

"This had something to do with that Cortex guy, didn't it?" he inched closer but still kept his distance, "Ramona." he said after I didn't reply.

"Alright it did!" I spat. By this time he was leaning on the other end of the couch and staring.

"Listen," he said softly, "I understand what you're going through and-"

"No! You don't understand!" I clutched my sides again as I shouted and continued, "I know your parents were killed and you were sent to the orphanage like me but that's all! I know you sought out revenge for the Fiendish Five but you didn't spend most of your teenage years doing that and are still working on it! After your parents were killed you weren't sent to live with your mother who hated you and still does!" I took a breath and realized that tears had been streaming down my face the entire time I had been ranting and only got worse as I continued.

"You weren't kidnapped from the orphanage after you were sent there! The men who kidnapped didn't use you as a test subject for their experiments and you weren't changed permanently because of them! You didn't have to escape after four years of experimentation and have to live on the streets after you finally got away!"

"Those experiments were horrible. I spent four years locked away in a castle somewhere off the southwestern coast of Australia and I won't stop until he is taken down and no one understands that. And you don't either." I had started to wipe my face off and started calming down.

"Alright, maybe I don't understand, but I can help if-" I cut him off again.

"I don't need your help, Sly! I can get by just fine on my own. I didn't need your help before, I don't need it now, and I won't need it in the future!" he sighed and rested a paw on my arm but I snapped it away,

"Just keep your nose out of my business and leave me alone." I didn't know why I was getting so mad at him about; he was just trying to help.

"Listen to me," he started again but I didn't let him finish.

"Just go away." I gasped when pain shot through my side and I doubled over the back of the couch.

"You need to get to a hospital." he still stared as I straightened up.

"No I don't and I don't need you telling me what I have to do." My paw still held my ribs as I shot him an angered glance. Again, he attempted to place a paw on my shoulder but I hissed as soon as he toughed my shoulder. He let go and brought his arm back down to his side.

"Just leave." I said simply. I wanted to be alone and not talk to anyone. He stood there for a few moments and finally left after I had started yelling again. He sighed again before leaving and walked out slowly. He was halfway out the door when he looked back one more time. He finally left my balcony after shouting for him to leave a third time. After I was sure he was gone, I slunk back down to the ground. I only lasted a few moments before completely breaking down into tears of pain, sorrow, and guilt.


	7. Chapter 7: Research

Disclaimer: I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch.

Claimer: I own all of my original characters.

_This chapter sort of brushes back over the rest of Ramona's siblings from my first story. Since I don't use all of them that often, I thought I'd mention them again. Please read and review!_

Chapter 7: Research

Ever since I was a kid, I hated being lectured. It was bad enough when I was given one by my dad and it was even worse when I was being nagged at by my brother. And that's exactly was I was sitting though. After I was attacked in my apartment, my brother and sister came in a tried to get me to a hospital, I supposed Sly had some input into it. I argued with them for at least an hour before I was finally dragged into my sisters' car and taken to the emergency room. I had x-rays done and any of the major gashes were stitched together but there really isn't anything they can do for broken ribs other than just let them fuse back together on their own. I had to stay in the hospital overnight so the doctors could be sure that there wasn't any internal damage, other than broken bones, and while I stayed there that night and part of the following day my brother had my apartment cleaned so I could go home. So, now I was stretched out on my couch and listening to my brother chew me out.

"Are you even listening to me?" Sitka's voice snapped me out of my daydream.

"Of course I am!" I stopped listening after he said, 'we need to talk'.

"Ramona," he rested his paws on the arm rest near my feet, "you need to listen. That bull was at least three times the size of you and you see what happened. Think about if there were two of them, you'd be dead. Why didn't you tell us about the window and the note?"

"Because you'd worry and then everything would be hectic and I didn't want that to happen."

"I know you had good intentions, but if you ever get one again, let us know. Now, how are we going to fix our problems?" he meant the collections of gems. With four broken ribs and three of them fractured, I couldn't steal for a while. Sitka and Charlotte couldn't sneak in like I could, Sitka was more muscular than I was and Charlotte wasn't very light on her feet. I shrugged at his question and he started his lecture again.

"Well, while you're out of commission, I'm going to have Charlotte stay here to help you around. You can't really do much with a broken rib and I need someone to keep an eye on you. You always find a way to go back out in the field no matter what." He smirked and stood.

"No!" I whined. I knew I would feel like a child if she stayed and 'kept and eye on me'.

"Don't argue with me. You are still the youngest out of the three of us and what Charlotte and I say goes. It's so you don't get into trouble and can heal as quickly as possible."

"You're really going to pull the age card again?" he nodded and I groaned, letting my head fall backwards against the arm rest.

"She'll be here in a few hours. I'm going to keep tabs on the Interpol station, you say out of trouble." He pointed a finger at me before leaving. I sighed and shut my eyes. I knew they meant well, but I felt stupid having being cared for. But, if that could help me move as little as possible and allow my bones to set, I could get back out into the field and get everything straightened out.

My head snapped up and I looked at my glass door when I though I heard something on the balcony but found nothing. I settled back down and waited for my sister to come by. Along with the pain caused by my broken bones, I felt horribly guilty. Directly after that bull left, Sly had simply come in to make sure I was alright. I knew that but I still lost my temper and chewed him out. After literally screaming for him to leave, he did just that. It had been a week since that happened and I hadn't seen or heard from him since. I knew I needed to apologize, and I wanted to, to him but I can't seem to track that raccoon down. Since I'm out of the game for a while, I can't go out and look for him. Granted whenever I did talk to him he always found me, but I still would try and hunt him down. I also knew that since I couldn't go out and run around the city, these next seven weeks were going to take forever. I never liked staying inside too often and I knew this would feel like forever.

Charlotte finally got in and settled a few hours after my brother left. She moved into the spare bedroom I had on the opposite side of the apartment and was ready to get planning. We decided that since we couldn't go out into the field, we would do major planning. I was still stretched out on the couch, in an attempt to keep my sides from burning, and she sat on the loveseat to my right. She was typing away furiously on her laptop and chatting the entire time. My mother always said that I was the chatty one but this fox could talk your ear off.

"I've narrowed down two rooms that the safe could be in," Charlotte said as she looked up from her typing; "now we just have to figure out how to get in there."

"We could always give you some extensions, dress you up as Carmelita, and walk in and take the thing." I was almost serious, they looked identical. Charlotte was obviously older than Carmelita and had shorter had but other than that they could be twins. She let out a laugh and continued typing.

"There are a series of air ducts underneath the building where the cooling unit starts and there's a vent in every room of the building. You could crawl your way through, look for the safe, and then after you find it just pull it back through the air ducts with you. And if it doesn't fit we can you to sneak it out by dressing you up in a uniform."

"I'd need a security key so people can watch me go in and not just come out." I grunted as I sat up.

"Oh yeah, you can swipe Nick's card."

"What about your old card? I know you kept it after you quit the force."

"Yeah, but since I quit they disabled it." our family had many officers and when we were kids, Charlotte wanted to be an officer like my mother and a few of out siblings. So, she went through the academy and got a badge but after two years being Officer Fox she quit and joined the thieving side of us. My brother Nick was an Inspector like Carmelita and just as vicious. He might have been younger than me but he scared me a little.

"We could get Victoria to do it! She's smaller than you and she could get it done now!"

"She can't navigate her way out of a paper bag," my younger sister Victoria was also a thief but she was always getting caught.

"True, true she can't. Well we have Coco, Crash, and Crunch working in Australia to see what they can find. They sent me an e-mail a while ago and said that Carlos and Daniel are back in Paris. Carlos is supposed to be getting a promotion."

"Great. Two more officers we have to watch for." Both of them are my younger brothers and both were officers.

"Then I guess we just wait until you heal and see where we go from there."

"I guess so," I didn't really feel like talking about plans now. I still felt horribly guilty and I could tell Charlotte was starting to catch on to it.

"Something's bugging you. What is it?" she closed her computer and stared anxiously.

"Nothing, my sides hurt." I lied and hoped she'd drop it.

"That's not it. Someone's feeling guilty!" she laughed and still waited for me to reply.

"I am not!" I couldn't help but laugh and she knew I was lying. We playfully argued for the rest of the night off and on. She couldn't get me to crack, despite all her tricks. I decided that having Charlotte live here until my ribs mended together wouldn't be so bad. As long as she didn't try to snoop in my personal business.


	8. Chapter 8: Sneaking In

Disclaimer: I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.

Claimer: I own all of my original characters.

_I know this is short but Ramona's ribs have healed and she's back in actions, for the time being. Please read and review and give me your opinions or thoughts. (:_

Chapter 8: Sneaking In

We had been planning for over two months while my ribs healed and tonight was finally the night we would sneak into the Interpol station so we could get my safe back. I was ready to start crawling through the air vents the moment we snuck into the nighttime grounds. After being out of commission for over seven weeks, I was ready to get back out into the field. Even though Charlotte had researched the buildings blueprints a thousand times, we still could only pinpoint the location to two possible rooms. Since we weren't sure which one we really needed, we would have to look through both; or I would have to look through them. Like we normally did, I would be the one to sneak in while Sitka and Charlotte would sit and wait in the car. Which I didn't really mind, I liked doing things myself so I knew they would be done. Since I needed to sneak in with no possible way for me to be detected, I would have to shimmy my way through a series of air vents, which I dreaded. Yes, I would fit I just didn't like the dust, dirt, cobwebs, spiders, and other various bugs inside. And since I had fur, getting cobwebs out was always that much harder.

I groaned when I got a face full of spider webs and heard a laugh through the other end of my earpiece. I moved quickly through the air vents and finally found the floor grate to the first storage room. I tried to be as quiet as I could while I removed the floor grate into the vent and crawled up. Even though there wasn't any security in the room itself, it only took one slip up to get half the police force on my tail. Trying to fit the cover in the vent while I tried to squeeze out of it was difficult but eventually got it done. This room was rather large and filled with confiscated items and I searched and searched for my safe.

"I don't see it." I muttered softly into my earpiece. I had searched every shelf at least two times and I didn't see it.

"Then it has to be in the other room. Go back into the air vents and get to that second room, it has to be in there." Charlotte muttered back. So, I crawled back down into the vents and replaced the grate to the floor opening.

I quickly crawled my way through the vents again and tried to find my way to the second holding room. I had to stay silent while in the vents. They ran all throughout the floors of the building and the footsteps of the people walking echoed in the vents. It was dark in the vents and my night vision didn't really help. So, I had to feel my way around in the vents in order to find the opening. Like with the first room, I lifted the grate into the vent and crawled out. This room wasn't as full as the last one but I still searched thoroughly. I searched it over and over and over and I still didn't see the vase. I was starting to get worried that the police had cracked the lock and gotten everything out.

"It's not in here. Are you sure there aren't anymore place to check?"

"I-I'm positive! There aren't any other holding rooms in the building! Look again, while I look over the blueprints again." I looked through the shelves again while she did whatever she was researching. I muttered a curse when the door opened and my gaze rested on two officers in uniform. There were no windows in the room and if I went back through the air vents it would slow me down. Both men drew their weapons and told me to freeze and I darted between their legs and bolted down the hallway.

"Give me an escape route here!" I shouted while more officers caught on to what was going on. I groaned when I had to pass by my sisters' officer. Not only was Carmelita in there, but my two brothers who recently returned to Paris, were in there as well. Pretty soon, the only officers that were 'permitted' to follow were the people I was related to. Unfortunately, they were good at their job and the men were catching up quickly. I darted in and out of the hallways and tried to find and exit that didn't include jumping out of a window. I had lost communications with my siblings and was on my own to find and exit. I jumped when I heard the zipping sound of shot off shock pistol rounds. My heart almost stopped when I saw I had just led myself to a dead end and realized I was completely surrounded. I slid to a stop and looked around frantically to find and exit.

I grunted with I was sent to the ground by my Carlos while Daniel slapped a pair of handcuffs on my wrists. I was roughly lifted up before the two foxes started leading me somewhere in the building. I kicked my legs, wiggled within their grasps, and tried to stop them from walking while they carted me away but nothing helped. Even if I was older than them, they were still a larger than I was and stronger as well.

"Put me down, Carlos!" I shouted at the officer at my left and he simply smirked, "I swear if you don't let me go I swear I'll-" I was cut off.

"Do what? You strike us and you'll get charged with assault on an officer." The officer on my right added. I rolled my eyes and gave a silent snarl as they dragged to a holding cell. The cell door slammed shut after I was inside and I watched my brothers walk of proudly. I fumbled around with my earpiece until I picked a signal.

"Sorry, lost my signal." I said into the earpiece and waited for a reply.

"Don't worry; we'll get you out of there soon. We just have to wait for things to die down a little and we'll sneak in and get you out." Sitka replied.

"Thanks guys." I quickly shut off my communicator when Inspector Fox marched in front of my cell.

"Smooth Ramona, real smooth. After we make sure you didn't steal anything from the storage rooms, we'll bring you in for a brief interrogation before booking you and sending you to a nicer cell." She threw a fake smile before waltzing away. I gave a soft growl and slumped against the wall and crossed my arms. This definitely wasn't my best break in but it would be so much better if my own siblings didn't gloat at my apprehension.


	9. Chapter 9: Breaking Out

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_This didn't turn out to be as long as I wanted to but it's over 1,200 words so it's not too short. Anyway, I'm starting to wrap this up and I'm only going to put two, maybe three, more chapters in it and it should be done. But I promise I'll make the last ones longer. So, please read and review and let me know what you think._

Chapter 9: Breaking Out

Along with being lectured, I always hated getting questioned. Any type of questioning from when I was a kid who got in trouble, to the kind of questioning I was sitting through. I shifted in the rather uncomfortable chair while wrestling with my handcuffs. Carmelita had me handcuffed to my chair during my interrogation to ensure that I wouldn't escape but I was bound to find a way out. I sat on one side of the table inside the interrogation cell while Carmelita and Carlos sat on the other. Since he was the one who actually tackled me down, he got to sit in. I gave up with trying to pick the lock and leaned back in the chair and sighed. After they were done questioning I was supposed to get transferred to another facility where I would be booked and placed in a real jail cell. Since this was only headquarters, I wasn't under official arrest until I was put in a jail. I was hoping Sitka or Charlotte would break me out before it got to that but I decided just to go with the flow.

"Alright," Carmelita said as she stacked papers together, "let's get this started. State your name."

"You know my name." I started fumbling with my cuffs again.

"Just state it." my brother said sharply. I shot him an annoyed glance before continuing.

"Ramona Bandicoot. What else?"

"Why did you break in?" she wrote everything we said down, even though it was being recorded by video and audio.

"I told you about a month ago that I'd be back to get my safe back. And that's exactly what I was doing since you didn't return it to me. And that reminds me of a question of my own, have you gone through it?"

"Unfortunately no, we haven't. We can't seem to figure out that stupid lock you have on it." I smiled at the comment. I had intentionally made the lock nearly impossible to crack and was rather complex to open even if you knew the combination.

"And what were you planning to do after you got the safe? How were you supposed to get out of the headquarters? We figured out your method of entry and even if you had found it, that safe is way to big to fit in that tiny air vent." I stopped fumbling with my cuffs when it hit me that she was gloating that I was in handcuffs.

"I can tell you where I would have shoved it." I growled. I knew that if I had used 'inappropriate language' I would have gotten yelled at so I left it at that.

"Humorous. Now where would you have put it?" I assumed she didn't catch my comment.

"Again, I can tell you where I would have _shoved_ it." she caught on to what I was saying and was starting to get flustered.

"Just answer the questions." She barked.

"Just get me a lawyer because I am done with answering questions." I shifted in my chair again and waited to get out of the room. She sighed before gathering her papers together again and standing.

"Get her out of here. I'll have a couple of officers pick her up from her cell for transportation. I should have known she'd be a smart-aleck. She left the room and that left my brother to trot me back to my cell and wait to be transported. I was starting to get worried and wondered when my siblings would get me out. If they waited until I was at the actual jail, it would be extremely difficult to break me out.

I glanced up when two officers started unlocking my cell door. I was placed in handcuffs before both men started walking me somewhere in the building. I figured I'd be taken to the bottom floor and put into a police cruiser to be taken to the jail. I only went to mid chest of both raccoon sand I felt completely helpless. Along with them being larger than I was, their uniform hats were pulled too far down, which kept me from seeing their faces. Each of them had one of my arms in their paws as we walked the lonely and quiet corridor. I still hadn't heard anything from my siblings and now I couldn't help but think that maybe they were arrested also and already in the jail where I was going. I heard the officers mumble something to each other before the one on my right let go of my arm and branched off. I was left with the second officer as we continued our journey to the police cruiser.

I felt him slightly squeeze my arm when we passed another officer and I shook my arms so he would loosen his grip. That wasn't the only suspicious thing he did. We came to the end of the hallway and he looked both ways and behind him multiple times before finally going to the left. He quickened his pace slightly as we continue making our way down the hall. I quickly shot him a glance and confusion when he stopped walking all together and looked behind us one more time.

"What's your problem?" I asked after he pulled forward again.

"Just keep walking." I followed his orders but his voice sounded extremely familiar but I just couldn't place it. It wasn't my brothers' voice but it just too familiar. I shook the thought from my head as we finally made it to the parking lot. The officer led me across the lot and to a car that wasn't a police cruiser.

"What are you doing?" I asked when I saw the other officer start the car. The other officer started removing my handcuffs after the car was running and I turned to face him.

"Your brother talked to me and I agreed with him that a pretty lady like yourself shouldn't be locked up in a place like this." That's when I realized who the officers were. The one starting the car was Sitka and the other one was Sly. He gave me a quick wink and smile before quickly putting me inside the backseat of the car and shutting the door. As soon as the door was closed, my brother took off out of the parking lot. I leaned against the front passenger seat to talk to my brother.

"Was that Sly?" I asked. I hadn't talked to him since the night I was attacked and I yelled at him; and that was almost three months ago.

"Yeah, I knew he was good as sneaking in and you know your sister and I aren't. So he agreed to help sneak you out. Was that a problem?"

"No, it's just," I spoke softly, "I haven't seen or talked to him since the night that bull broke into my apartment. He stopped by afterward because he heard the fight and I, well I took my anger out on him and haven't talked to him since."

"He mentioned that he hadn't talked to you in a while but didn't go into too much detail. You'll work it out, you always find a way out of your problems." He gave a laugh and I slunk back into the seat with a sigh.

"And then to make it worse, I just snapped at him when he was walking me down to the car! Oh man, I'm a monster."

"No you're not, you're just a miniature one." He laughed again and I kicked the seat while quietly muttering 'shut up'.


	10. Chapter 10: Surprises

Disclaimer: I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.

Claimer: I own all of my original characters.

_Alright, this is the next to last chapter! I'll post the last one soon and try to wrap this story up ASAP. So, please read and review! And Happy New Year!_

Chapter 10: Surprises

Today certainly could have gone better. I learned my safe wasn't at police headquarters and then I was arrested. Although, my brother did get me out it was still a really bad day. Then to top it all off, my brother had gotten Sly to help break me out. I hadn't seen the guy in almost three months and he willing helped me out and I hadn't even apologized yet. I felt like the worlds biggest jerk and I was still doing nothing proactive about it. I'd figure something out in the morning after I'd slept on it. I stepped out onto my balcony and picked up my neighbors cat up off my patio table. He'd gone out of town and I'd agreed to take care of the cat until he got back. Considering the cat only came out at night, it was difficult to make sure he kept himself fed. I carried the cat in my arms as I walked back into my apartment. After I had locked the door and placed the cat down, I wanted to get in the shower and get to sleep early so I could figure out what I wanted to do.

I stepped into the shower and let the hot water run through my fur as I thought. I knew I needed to figure out a way to track Sly down. He obviously had to be in Paris, considering I just saw him a few hours ago, and I thought I should try hid hideout in the morning. And then if I didn't find him there I'd search around. After thinking for a good thirty minutes, I stepped out of my shower and got into my night clothes. I went on the defensive when I heard a very loud and audible thud on my balcony. I slinked out into the living room and cautiously looked at the glass door. Hobo, my neighbor's cat, was also ready to attack. His solid black fur was on end and his claws were out. I looked away from the cat when I heard a very faint tapping sound on the glass. I sighed in relief when I realized it wasn't another goon from Cortex, but a particular thief. I unlocked the door and let him in after calming the cat down.

"W-what are you doing here?" I asked after he was inside. I certainly wasn't expecting him to stop by but I never do expect him so stop by.

"After you're brother drove you out of the police station there was a big uproar because you escaped. I just wanted to stop by and make sure they didn't arrest you again. And seeing that you are safe and sound, I'll let you get back to what you were doing." He gave a quick smile before heading back towards the door.

"Wait, can I talk to you for a minute? Please." I knew that this would be the best chance to apologize.

"Sure, got something on your mind?" he had walked back into my apartment and started to lean against the couch.

"I'm really, really sorry for the way I talked to you that night the bull came in and I know you were just trying to help and I just finally snapped and I took it out on you and I didn't plan for that to happen you just happened to be there and I fell really bad about it and I'm rambling again, aren't I?" I talked quickly as I though of everything I wanted to apologize for and now I was rambling on and on and just felt like an idiot.

"I don't mind your rambling," he said after chuckling, "and you don't need to apologize."

"Yes I do; I completely took my frustration and rage out on you and I shouldn't have. And then I snapped at you today."

"You were just attacked and shaken up. Now that I think about it, wanting to talk about it was probably the last thing you wanted to do. And I know that you had been stressed about losing the safe and getting everything collected. As for today, you were arrested and being taken to jail. So, don't worry about that night or today."

"So, you weren't angry afterward?" I was blown away with his reactions. I figured he would be upset but he wasn't.

"No, did you think I was?" he lifted an eyebrow.

"This is the first time I've seen you in three months. I thought you were avoiding me."

"I've been out of Paris on a job for the past couple of months. And I would have stopped by after you were out of the hospital to check on you but your sister was here and I thought it would have been a little…awkward. I got back two days ago and when your brother told me you were arrested and needed help getting out, I jumped on it. You can't get much done for your mission while sitting in a jail cell." He said before pulling me into a hug.

"Which reminds me," he suddenly released me and went over to sliding glass door. He slid it open and stepped outside momentarily. He came back a minute later with a rather large and heavy looking box. He placed it down in front of me with a thud before standing up fully, "After you were dropped off here I talked with your brother again."

"About?" I asked after eyeing the rather large box resting at my feet.

"I couldn't remember your birthday, so I asked him. Turns out it was six months ago and since there are no holidays coming up since Christmas just passed a month ago, consider this a really early birthday present."

"An early birthday present?" I looked from the box to his face. He nodded and took a look at the box.

"Wait a minute," he mumbled before reaching into his leg pouch, pulled out a large red bow, and slapped it onto the box, "There, now open it."

"What's even in there?" I tried to get him to just tell me. I never like opening gifts in font of other people.

"Open it." he motioned to the box with his snout and I finally caved in. Since I couldn't rip off packing tape with my claws, I searched my kitchen drawers for a knife or a pair of scissors. I eventually found a decently sharpened knife and returned to the living room.

I shot him an uncertain glance and saw that a large smile was plastered across his snout. He motioned to it again and I used the knife on the tape. I placed the kitchen utensil on the end table after the tape was cut and I pulled the flaps of the box open. My gaze was filled with multicolored packing peanuts and I looked up at the smiling raccoon.

"Packing peanuts? This is a box of packing peanuts."

"Take them out and see what's in there." We both crouched next to the box as I started scooping out the small foam pieces. My claws brushed against something cold, hard, and metal after I had scooped out about three pawfulls of peanuts. After most of them were out of the box, my eyes went wide and my jaw dropped when I realized what was inside.

"Is this my safe?" my head snapped to his direction, a smile plastered across my own muzzle now, "How'd you get it?"

"I broke into the Interpol station two days ago to get some files and I heard Carmelita saying that if they couldn't crack it open manually then they'd blow the lock. And I knew how hard you've worked to get everything so, I swiped it from the confiscated items. I didn't know if your ribs had healed and by the sound of it, they were ready to blow the lock right there." I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed when he was finished talking. He returned my hug and I quickly kissed his cheek.

"I can't believe you did this!" I practically shouted. I kissed his cheek again before standing. He stood as well while I couldn't deny the fact that I was ecstatic. That explained why the safe wasn't in any of the storage rooms when I went to the Interpol station.

"Thank you, so much." My cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling but I didn't care. I got my safe back and I was overjoyed.

"Not a problem." I pulled him into another hug by wrapping my arms around his chest. He hugged back by wrapping his own arms around my shoulder, due to my height, and we stood there in silence. I was slightly taken back when I felt him press his lips to mine and move his paws to rest on my waist. I didn't protest, but instead placed my paws on his neck and complied. Our kiss was interrupted when I felt cat claws sink into my swaying tail.

"Ouch, stupid cat." I grumbled as I used my foot to push away my neighbors' cat.

"You got yourself a guard cat?" Sly said through a laugh.

"I'm cat sitting." I flicked him in the chest and realized I was still being held by the waist.

"It's late and I should get going. Bentley will have a fit if I'm not back in the next thirty minutes." His paws finally slid away from my waist and he headed for the door.

"You're on a curfew?" I playfully raised an eyebrow.

"It's not a curfew! It's a restricted exploring time period." He 'corrected' me.

"So you're on a curfew?" I said giggling and he sighed.

"Yes it's a curfew!" he laughed with me and placed a paw on the handle, "Hey, do you want to get a cup of coffee tomorrow? I'll buy."

"Alright, I'll meet you there?" we agreed to meet around lunch time and with that, he left through my door.


	11. Chapter 11: Déjà Vu

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.

**Claimer:** I own all of my original characters.

_This is the final chapter! I know I've been updating just about every day, and some days twice but after the holidays I wanted to get things with this story finished. So, here's the final chapter. And I can't seem to get past 11 chapters per story but it's better than nothing. Since this one is finished, I'll have to think of some better oneshot ideas since the ones I have posted aren't getting many reviews so I'm not sure if people like them or... Anyway, please read and review!_

Chapter 11: Déjà Vu

I laughed while I stirred my cup of coffee. I realized it had been a while since I had a conversation with a person that didn't involve what I was trying to steal. Just having a conversation on random things felt so good after everything that's happened this past year. But, then again, since I was talking with Sly it was about thieving but it didn't revolve around what I was trying to steal. We'd already been sitting at the coffee shop for an hour and from the looks of it, we weren't in any hurry to leave. We'd been random chatting about different heists we've pulled since we were eleven and playing on play grounds. I was also very happy that I only had two more gems to collect, now that I have my safe back, until I can go after Cortex.

"Alright, tell me the strangest heist you've ever had to pull." Sly said after a second plate of scones had been delivered to the table.

"Strangest heist, I've had some strange ones. Well, this again goes back to a crystal, but I would have to say that my strangest heist was when I had to be a burlesque dancer as a distraction. That one was pretty strange." My thought was broken when Sly started laughing.

"Your overly protective brother let you be a burlesque dancer?" I nodded and laughed along with him.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" he asked after our laughing had died down.

"Go ahead." I already had an idea of what he was going to ask.

"Well, you know I met you when we were kids, but other than you father being killed and then living with your mother, I don't really know much about you. Can you give me any other information that you don't mind sharing?"

"Well, all twelve of us were taken by then man who killed our father and he used us as…test subjects. He's a scientist and a really bad one at that. Every experiment he did ended up failing and it did change us both mentally and physically."

"But you didn't change physically. Did you?" I nodded as a response.

"I did but they were mainly little things. I was right handed until that, a chemical imbalance won't let my hair grow past my shoulder blades, go figure," I snorted at the thought of how stupid that sounded, "And only one of my eyes changed color. Only one and now I have an incomplete pair. So, now I'm considered a freak for that, but I don't really care."

"I thought they were always multicolored." His eyebrows furred together.

"Nope, they were blue and now it's green." I lifted my bangs briefly and showed off the odd colored eye. I usually kept it covered with my bangs for that reason.

"And how is that freaky?" I shrugged my shoulders at his question.

"And then, after we were there for a couple of years, we escaped and came back to Paris. I was fourteen of fifteen and we still had my younger siblings with us so we went back to my mothers. By that time she had married the man she'd been dating after she divorced my dad and his rule was, 'if you name is Bandicoot, you are not welcome.' So, the Bandicoots' left, every single one of us. We had no money, no place to live, so we lived on the streets."

"Why didn't you go back to the orphanage? You were young enough."

"My younger brothers and sisters and I could, but by then, Sitka was sixteen and they wouldn't accept a sixteen year old. Trust me, we tried. And we weren't going to leave him homeless so we stayed with him. We lived under the bridge on the west side of Paris and we stayed there for almost two years. My brother did get a job so we had a little bit of money to buy food with. I stayed with my younger siblings to make sure they were alright and wouldn't get hurt or get into trouble. We did have a few things, clothes and such and when we left, we were given the two guitars, cello, and violin that my father had given my mother when they were in high school. So we used those to make a little bit more money to live off of by doing street music."

"And it's wasn't all bad when it was all over. Our thieving skills improved and we were eventually able to steal things to make some money and eventually we could get apartments for ourselves. I moved into the complex that I live in now and paid rent for a few months when I got a letter from the owners. The owners of this building and the one my brother lives in are the Pulaski's, the family we went to the night my father was killed," I couldn't help but smile at that comment, "When they realized we were living in their buildings, we didn't have to pay rent. And we still don't now that the seniors are dead and their children have taken over."

"I'd say that's a pretty good break." I nodded with his comment, "Where did you mother live when you were on the streets?" I pointed down the street to another apartment complex about a mile down the road.

"She lived right over there and did nothing?" he was surprised at my response but it was the truth.

"She still lives there now. I haven't talked to the old bat since she kicked me out." I sipped at my coffee while our conversation started to die down.

"So," he said in an attempt to start up another conversation, "what do you plan to do next?"

"Well, I only have to get two more gems to get before I can go after Cortex. Then after that's done, I'm not really sure what I'll do next. I haven't really thought that through, anything I guess."

"What countries do you get to visit?" he leaned into his chair and waited for my reply.

"I'm leaving in two days and heading to Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil and then I catch a plane to Warsaw, Poland. After that I go back to Australia to complete everything."

"Are you going to stay in Australia or come back to Paris?" I was starting to get the feeling that he didn't want me to stay in Australia but I wasn't sure what I was going to do.

"I don't know. I have a lot of connections here in Paris, but I also have plenty there. And then there's e pull of family, I have more in Sydney then I do here, but I just don't know." He nodded and out conversation was interrupted when my sister came trotting up to our table while holding a piece of paper.

"Listen," Charlotte said as she took a seat at the table, "we have a slight problem."

"Slight problem? What kind of 'slight problem'?"

"Well, I did some calculating, and you're going to need more than just the gems and crystals." I could tell she was nervous and not too happy about the situation.

"More than just the gems and crystals, there's more stuff that I have to get?"

"Yeah, you also have two keys, some more gems, and a few relics to get as well." I snatched the paper from her paws and looked over it.

"There are a hundred and sixty-one items on here! I only have sixty-seven things total."

"I know, but we have all these locations to go to so we can get everything." I looked at the lower end of the list and saw at least sixty some odd locations we now had to go to.

"The keys are needed to get the more rare gems that you need to get and the relics, all ninety of them, will help from him getting an alternate source of power. And there are also these gems shards that you'll need to get as well."

"Oh, that's just peachy." So, my quest wasn't almost over. I now had to go back out and get all of these other things just like I had to do when I had to get the gems. I handed her the list back before letting my head slam against the table and groaning. It also reminded me that the mission I'm on, well, it's complicated.

_Now, I need to know if I should make a third story to go along with that one or if I should just make an entire new series with a new idea. Either PM me or leave a review on It's Complicated for your input if you feel like it. Thanks(:_

_I'm also in need of some new oneshot story ideas so I'm always up for suggestions and if I do use your idea I'll of course give you credit._


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